My 2018 Holiday Letter

December 2018

5 Alban Mews
New Albany, Ohio 43054
Email me at: roderickchu@att.net

A holiday note to my family, friends, and colleagues —

My Mom & I ended 2017 with many events that came after I prepared my 2017 Holiday letter, so I’ve included them here. 2018 has been comparatively quiet, for after celebrating New Year’s Eve, Mom contracted pneumonia that had her hospitalized for 3 weeks. Then, after months of recovery, she came down with a blood infection that required another week in the hospital and weeks more I.V. antibiotics and further medical care at home. Thanks to the terrific attention she’s gotten at the Ohio State University Medical Center and a talented physical therapist at home, she has recovered well and is pretty much back to her normal activities - including frequent visits to our local casinos, where she gets exercise walking among her favorite slot machines. My sister Laura and her daughter Karen came from Massachusetts to visit and look after her in January - enabling me to attend my annual conference at the University of Southern California - and again in July, when they especially enjoyed helping her recovery at the casinos.

We delighted in the many pleasures of living in New Albany, including seeing friends - both human and feathered. Although we didn’t get to attend the world premiere of Crazy Rich Asians, in which Mom’s good friend Lisa Lu starred, we happily saw the local premiere of the movie in Columbus, and even our plants celebrated! We enjoyed eating weekly at our two favorite local places: New Albany Country Club and Asian Taste restaurant. My church activities have also been quite personally uplifting and fun.

Once Mom had recovered, we went to NY for a few weeks at the end of September to see friends and check on her house. We packed many activities into our 3 weeks there, seeing and remembering friends, and eating very well, of course.

As challenging as some things have been this year, 2018 is ending up to have been a 
me hope for an even better year to come. As I prepare this letter, Mom and I are about to take another trip back east...and farther. But news of those trips will have to wait until next year’s letter - unless, of course, you’re on Facebook and are my friend there, where you’ll learn of things as they occur.

My family joins me in wishing you and yours a holiday season of boundless joy and thanksgiving, and a fulfilling and healthy 2019!



Sincerely,
Rod

Friend me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/rodchu

My blogs:
http://rchu.wordpress.com
http://www.choosygourmand.wordpress.com 

Enjoyed Visits by Laura, Karen, and Michael to Columbus

JAN: Karen & Laura came to Columbus to visit Mom during her hospitalization for pneumonia; we ate out at NACC and Tensuke Express. JUL: They flew back for another visit after Mom’s bout of blood infection, but this time got to enjoy the slots at Hollywood Casino with her as well as dinner at their restaurant, and NACC for dinner and drinks at adult pool. Joined my Alban Mews neighbors at the Taste of New Albany, with yummy food offerings by NACC’s Kent Rigsby and dozens of others. Dinner out at Refectory, Veritas, and again at Final Cut.

NOV: Threatened with not appearing in 3 of my Holiday Letters in a row, my dearest friend Michael Richardson flew from Chicago to Columbus for a weekend visit. We enjoyed a Columbus City Adventures tour, drinks and lunch at Third & Hollywood, before joining Mom at Hollywood Casino for dinner at their Final Cut restaurant. Caught Columbus Museum of Art’s Harlem Renaissance exhibit where we were delighted to find a special exhibit of our friend Isaac Julien’s photos from his film Looking for Langston before dinner at NACC.

Ended 2017 with Events (that occurred after my last year’s Holiday Letter)

DEC ‘17: Ambrose Ng’s family invited friends to join them in celebrating his 70th birthday at his and Irene’s home in Powell, OH.

DEC ‘17: Mom & I drove to her NY home for the Friends of the Rockefeller State Park Preserve Gala at the Rockefeller Playhouse where we toured and she hosted a table of friends (Lina Mei, John Mei, John Huang, Charles Wang, Lilian & Leo Fong-Eng, Sandra & Fred Teng). Honored to be greeted so warmly by Friends President Clare Pierson and her mother Ann, daughter of Nelson Rockefeller.



DEC ‘17: Mom invited a table of old friends in NYC to dinner at Tri Dim Shanghai to try their specialties (including Xiao Long Bao and Lions’ Heads). So good to get together with: Kaity Tong; Gene Young; Laurette, Michael & Winnie, and Clifford Feng; Minson Chen; and Chester Mah. We sent our guests home with rooted cuttings from Mom’s Night Blooming Cereus to try their luck at getting them to bloom.



DEC ‘17: Mom & I drove over to Laura & David’s home in Bolton, MA a little early this year. Laura prepared a huge lobstah dinner for us and we got to see David put up their outdoor decorations. We also saw Shari before Steven drove her to Brooklyn to be with her family for the holidays. Massive piles of gifts under a lovely tree and a luscious Xmas dinner before we drove back to Ohio for New Year’s Eve.



DEC. ‘17; JAN: Celebrated a festive New Year’s Eve at 8 pm with families at New Albany Country Club, complete with balloon drop. Alas, Mom caught a cold from the many kids there and a week later, ended up in OSU East Hospital for 3 weeks with pneumonia.

Highlights of Peace Lutheran Church Activities

JAN: Celebrated Kai Nilsen’s 25th Anniversary as Pastor at our church...MAY: then his son Anders’ MDiv degree from Trinity Lutheran Seminary...JUL: and his ordination at Peace, as well as that of our Pastoral Intern Jared Howard. AUG: Pet Blessing Sunday service. SEP: Brian McLaren preached and presented. MONTHLY: Pub Theology discussions over beer; our IHN team fed homeless family members. 

Took Just Two Trips in 2018 (but one to come in Dec. 2018 after this letter is done)

JAN: Went to Marina del Rey for Jerry Lucido’s annual Center for Enrollment Research, Policy, and Planning conference at the Univ. of Southern Calif., where I serve on the Center’s Board of Scholars and Advisors. The few days were stimulating as ever - even the late afternoon break, where I walked down to the famed Venice Pier and enjoyed seeing the local fauna and a spectacular sunset.

 



SEP: In NYC, Mom & I joined many friends to celebrate Gene Young’s 88th birthday at the Century Club - with Laurette Feng, Shirley Young, Kaity Tong, Tom & Pat Shiah, Helene Chiang, Michael & Winnie Feng, Gordon Parks Foundation’s Peter Kundhardt, Jr., Rio Chang, Tracy & Stephen Limpe. Shirley led the family’s roast of Gene’s many accomplishments. Much dancing with instructors, Emily Limpe, Francisca & Clifford Feng. Thanks to Gene & Shirley for carrying on the annual tradition of lavishly celebrating their mother Juliana’s many birthdays!

 

OCT: At Cipriani Broadway, attended the Lang Lang Int’l Music Foundation’s festive Tenth Anniversary Gala as Board member Shirley Young’s guest, with Interlochen Arts Center’s President Trey Devey. Lang Lang Foundation Chair Sandy Weill - a fellow Cornellian - was at the next table. Our tables were up close for the many wonderful performances, included those by Lang Lang and operatic tenor Roberto Alagna.

 

OCT: Denise Sze was remembered by family and close friends - my Mom, Laurette and Michael Feng, and Didi Pei - in her son Gordon’s stunning Soho loft (with food catered by Chef Daniel Boulud), designed to display his incomparable Pacific tribal art collection. Remarks by Gordon, Denise’s half-sister Patty Pei Tang, Kitty Chia, and me. Glad to see her brother I.M. Pei there and looking very well at age 101.

 

OCT: Ate well with friends around NY. At Central Seafood: with Chester Mah, Henry Shum, James Wong for dim sum; again for dinner with Mom’s IBM colleague Jack & Heidi Adjami. With Linda Woo as Ray Chen’s guests for his banquet dinner at Chinatown’s Hop Shing. Tom & Pat Shiah’s Café Boulud lunch. James & Elizabeth treated us to Chef Sam Takahashi’s extraordinary omakese dinner at Hajime in Harrison. 

Happenings Around Columbus

MAR-JUL: Billy and Bobby the swans returned to NACC’s #2N pond behind my house after their winter in the golf cart shed and in the wild. They happily came to my calling their names for some fresh corn kernels and posed with Mom. Later, they moved across to the streams at #9N and #8W holes for the better natural water weeds there, but they still swam to my call for my corn offerings on our visits.

At many events with friends in and around Columbus. A sampling: FEB: Lion dancers at CAACO’s Chinese New Year Banquet at Sunflower with Tony & Kate Thomas, Jim & Cherie Nelson, Ping & Virginia Chen, Jim Miller & David Glisson and their exchange students. APR: Blake Compton’s insighful Creative Mornings Columbus talk on Game. Made laminated pasta with Shawnie Kelly at her Sur La Table class. SEP: Tally Krumm & I visited Tom Noe at his place in Marion. OCT: Gallerie Bar & Bistro’s Bill Glover led a lavish James Beard Chefs’ dinner.



JUN: With fellow members of Gahanna’s Peace Lutheran Church, we joined the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America group among 10,000 marchers in Columbus’ Pride Parade - one of the largest in the nation. Got a different and exhilarating perspective on Columbus!

 

AUG: Mom & I caught Crazy Rich Asians on its opening day in Columbus, in comfortable reclining lounge chairs. It featured Mom’s good friend Lisa Lu who played Nick’s fabulously wealthy grandmother. My screen shots of her, starting with a party to view her Night Blooming Cereus. Auntie Lisa was so natural in the role - easy to see how she earned the nickname “One-take Lisa” in her 50+ years on screen.

 

JUN-SEP: Mom’s Night Blooming Cereus plant rewarded us with 4 rounds of magnificent blossoms this year that each last only 1 night. It gave us a record 14 flowers over 4 nights in August, celebrating the Crazy Rich Asians opening! Neighbors dropped in to see them - including Midge & Tally Krumm, Kate & Tony Thomas, and Cherie & Jim Nelson - and to enjoy a Chinese midnight snack of our wontons.

 

Ate out a lot with friends. MAR: Sherran Blair with Janice & Herb Wolman at The Keep. Rich Stoff at The Guild House. APR: Bethea Woolf at Avishar Barua’s Service Bar. MAY: Ambrose & Irene Ng, Stella & Warren Woo, S.L. & Theresa Lee at Ping & Virginia Chen’s potluck. At NACC: JUN: lunch with Jon Tafel, Kris Frost, Tally Krumm, Rich Petrick; SEP: dinner, Viv & Jack Davis; Thanksgiving, David Glisson & Jim Miller. 

Printed 2018 Letter

I fit all the above into one double-sided legal sheet to include with my Christmas cards. I used Adobe InDesign to lay it out. If you'd like a hard copy, I'd be happy to mail you one - just send an email with your mailing address to me at roderick.chu@att.net.